Connecticut orchard claims hot air balloon company has been swiping its apples from the sky in seething post
Bad apple or full of hot air? A Connecticut orchard has gone scorched earth on a hot air balloon company it’s accused of swooping over its trees and serially swiping apples — but the blimp business claims it’s all a misunderstanding.Woodstock Orchards LLC alleged in a seething Facebook post this week that a hot air balloon cruised above its orchard for riders to reach out and snatch apples from one of its carefully maintained trees, a bizarre scheme the owners claim happened once before.“For the second time, this hot air balloon has come down into our orchard, with someone reaching out and taking apples from our trees,” Woodstock Orchards wrote alongside a photo of the colorful hot air balloon full of passengers flying near fall foliage.
“In the process, our apple trees have been struck and damaged,” said the nearly 70-year-old family-owned fruit and vegetable retail stand.“Every apple on those trees represents time, money, and hard work.We welcome visitors who come to enjoy the beauty of the orchard, and we love seeing the balloons in the sky.
But enjoying the view does not give anyone permission to damage our trees or take our crop,” the owners continued.“To have this happen once is upsetting.To have it happen twice makes it even more disappointing.
A business operating in our community should understand the importance of respecting the farms and small businesses that make this town special.”The orchard added that they are not asking for anything “unreasonable” and simply want “respect for our livelihood that we show to the people who visit us every day.”Photos posted by the farm showed the alleged klepto-balloon had branding for “CT Voyagers,” a hot-air balloon touring agency that claims on its website to be “one of the top five-star rated hot air ballooning companies in Connecticut and New England.”A spokesperson for CT Voyagers told Boston.com that two apple-theft incidents were simply a “misunderstanding.”When the ...